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Alfonso Anguiano

Prof Beadle

English 115

November 7, 2017

Godzilla, Out With the Old & In With the New

Within both movies, Gojira 1954 and Shin Godzilla 2016, Ishiro Honda and

Hideaki Anno include several differences in the movie which involve the fate of the

monster, the overall political inclusion and the way the monster progresses and evolves

provides enough information to carry out a valid reference and important message to the

audience by contributing these characteristics to the visual education of the horrific

World War II Pearl Harbor attacks on Japan. I believe that there was major changes

between both movies which would make one superior to the other rather than these films

having little changes to make them both very similar to each other.

To begin with, some people might object with my claim as some might believe

these differences arent anything big. Others might believe that the political stance of

these films carry little to no change because the movie is simply about a giant monster

who destroys Tokyo. What they dont understand is the role other countries involved play

a historical part when looking at the bigger picture of the significance Godzilla carries.

Furthermore, the way Godzilla evolves might be flawed because the way it grows carries

no importance or change great enough to change the stories main purpose. This is solely

incorrect as not only does the the evolving of the monster contribute to the difference in
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damage on Tokyo but as well as the wide range of facts from Pearl Harbor which make

these subtle changes important. Last but not least, while others might claim that the fate

of the monster doesnt matter, the fate of the monster between both films is a better

shown psychological state the Country and its citizens are left in after these horrendous

actions of evil. These reasons become obsolete because the overlooked opinions of these

films are often underestimated when so little of people see the significance these little but

crucial changes in these films posses.

To start off, the first familiar change within these films is how the aid of countries

differs between the 1954 and 2016 movie. In the first film Gojira 1954 the only two

countries to be involved were Japan and the United States of America. America is the

only other country to provide assistance to Japan after the horrific attacks of such monster

which destroyed the city of Tokyo. America was the first country to respond to Japan

with help. With this in mind, the help of only one other country gives me the analyzation

of how Japan might have felt alone and isolated. Meaning that the felt the had nobody to

help them in the time of the crisis. In contrast, the 2016 Shin Godzilla involved many

other countries including Japan, The United States of America, Russia, France, and I

believe Germany as well as some others. Not only did America provide help, so did other

foreign countries to help eliminate and deal with the dilemma Japan was involved in. One

of these countries has In the newer film, Japan didn't feel helpless as they had endless

help from different countries rather than feeling alone and desperate. As well as how

America played a bigger role in the newer 2016 Godzilla film as they provided most of

the military support towards the monster. To wrap up, the overall difference between the
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movies represented the psychological state Japan fell into when they were under attack,

feeling alone in the 1954 film with the help of only one country , and how they felt more

comfortable knowing they had several allies to watch their back in the 2016 movie.

In addition, a second change between both Godzilla movies was the difference

between the monster and his different attacks or abilities when it was terrorising the city.

Godzilla was a two legged beast which looked similar to a dinosaur with two simple

attacks. In the original Godzilla, the monster came out of the ocean already fully formed

into the two legged monstrosity, it is scary but not really the ideal creature to depict the

disaster of the city of Tokyo. In the older 1954 film, Godzilla was a very simple monster

with only the attacks of his tail and his fire breath which would cause mayhem, but

nowhere near as how the new and improved Godzilla would in the 2016 film. In the

newest film, the bigger, better and badder Godzilla now features a variety of attacks

which include its ability to use its tail as a weapon, along with the use of a fire breath

which turns into an atomic laser beam and last but not least, now it can shoot laser beams

out of its back with more power than ever, the monster is more terrifying. These attacks

were only noticeable through the creatures stages of evolution. As the time past and the

city progressed so did Godzilla, the monster started off with having no legs to later

developing and growing legs, a tail and many other hideous characteristics which would

only be revealed as the monster grew day by day, raising the danger levels and overall

destruction the monster would continue to create. Keeping this in mind, the monster grew

worse and worse everyday making the attacks more severe which crippled the city of

Japan by bringing them to its knees. To conclude, both movies address the monster and
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its attacks to reference the Pearl Harbor bombings on Japan while the older film

demonstrates the damage more lenient than the newer film. The newer film sends the

same message but creates a more clear and picturized image by demonstrating the stages

of evolution the monster goes through, to the time period of the bombings showing the

significance hour by hour day by day an week by week in which the attacks got worse

and worse, educating us on the harsh reality of history of Tokyo Japan included in Pearl

Harbor.

Last but not least, the final difference between these films were the different ways

of the monsters fate. In the original 1954 Gojira, the monster was attempted to be

eliminated through military force and once they found out its immunity to military force,

they had to change their tactics. The next way they approached the monster was to lure it

into the power lines to fry the beast but later only proved to be ineffective as well. As a

last resort, a brave scientist named Seriwaza created an Oxygen Destroyer which would

initially kill anything in the given area to defeat the monster but in the process took his

own life fearing that countries and others might want him to recreate the Oxygen

Destroyer to use for evil and disastrous purposes. On the other hand, the new godzilla

was very similar, but yet different. Japan in this movie used military force and as the

other one, it failed. When trying to figure out a new tactic to approach the monster, they

found that Godzilla had a weak spot on its back which would only become effective it the

attacks toward the giant were precise to hurt the monster. Acknowledging that hurting the

monster only infuriated it even more therefore creating more disaster and destruction to

the city of Tokyo worse than before. I. The 2016 Shin Godzilla the protagonist Yaguchi
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came up with a final idea to have a group of rambunctious scientists to come up with

enough of a coagulant to freeze the monster in its footsteps to prevent further damage. In

the process, many casualties occurred but the monster was finally frozen in its tracks,

alive, but immobile. To sum up, between both films, the fate of the monster differers

where the older film kills off the monster, while the newer film only is able to freeze the

beast where it stands. The larger picture depicted from these actions is none the less than

how the citizens of Tokyo only fear that there might be a slight possibility of another

Godzilla. On the other hand, how Godzilla is only able to be frozen, it symbolizes how

to city and citizens of Japan and Tokyo live in constant fear and the breath restricting

anxiety that the monster may return at any moment of time and theyre either ready or

not. In relevance to history, the fear of the monster ever returning signifies the fear Japan

carries that there might be another Pearl Harbor at any moment in the future to come.

In conclusion, the several changes in the movies compared and contrasted shared

the significance of the historical event of Pearl Harbor taken place is Tokyo Japan. To

conclude, the history of Japan is important and we should further educate our society on

the cruel but true past of Pearl Harbor and these films both contribute to the idea which

teach a great significance between the original 1954 Gojira and the newest 2016 Shin

Godzilla.

Works Cited

1. Honda, Ishiro. Gojira. Toho, 1954.

2. Anno, Hideaki. Higuchi, Shinji. Godzilla. Toho, Cine Bazar, 2016.

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3. Rosser, Michael. Japanese 'Godzilla' to Rise in 2016.

http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.csun.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb

=sr&csi=355078, Screen International, 2015, p. N_A.

4. Luedeking, Alessandra. Titan of Terror: A Personification of the

Destroyer of Worlds.https://csun-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-

explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_1science_s6442d95a748e8282110ba40a85

69ae943b52b904&context=PC&vid=01CALS_UNO&search_scope=EVE

RYTHING&tab=everything&lang=en_US, Elements, vol. 12, no. 1,

2016, pp. Elements, 2016, Vol.12(1).